Wall-E and the beach!

On Saturday X had the great idea of going to the beach. We left about 10:30 and got home just after 2pm, and it was a perfect day at the beach. Not too hot, not too windy, surf was 1-2ft, which to Thomas looks to be about 6ft! Both kids had a blast, jumped waves, got knocked down a lot, swam sort of, and were exhausted. We came home and made some salsa and guacamole and spent the rest of the day laying around. Saturday night was national Sleep in your Backyard night, and it was going to happen, had both kids set up in the $22 tent, read some stories (library books!) and they settled in. I was going to sleep on the couch with the back door open just in case. About 8:30, just after it got dark Glee called out crying. She was "not comfortable" in the tent (?!). So in they came, upstairs to Thomas' bed where they had sleepover. By this time the sunburned I had earned at the beach was in full force. We were smart, we sunscreened with 50spf, but I didn't put any on my legs. That was dumb. The backs of my legs are toast. My left hip seemed to get the brunt of it. You never notice what you are sitting on until when you sit it feels like someone is stinging you with a thousand needles. Not nice!

So on Sunday we took the kids to "church." Even my mom calls the theater our church. I told her the other day that of churches made popcorn and let you eat during service we might switch it up once in a while! We saw Wall-E, which was quite good. The last Pixar movie disappointed me (Ratatouille), but this one has redeemed the company. It had a good and simple message about the planet, the kids were completely entertained, and I thought some of the adult references were funny (like the Lido deck!). I enjoyed it, Wall-E was quite engaging and the "female" lead, Eve, was one of the heroes, which was nice. And no kids kicked my chair at all during the movie, which was an added bonus. I also thought the mix of the crowd was interesting. I saw quite a few teenagers, mostly boys, mostly geeky boys. That was nice.

Lastly I learned something yesterday. I saw some old friends from high school, old gaming friends. I subjected my poor family to two hours of not so good times. But what I learned about myself is I really hate to hear the word no. I mean it like this... imagine this conversation...
Me: So your sister brought home some bananas?
Old Friend: No, she brought home some fruit.
Me: Oh, I see, well, did you like them?
OF: Yeah, they were okay, we ate them all.
Me: so, you DID really like them, there were a lot of them!
OF: No, we just ate them all.
Me: oh... okay... did she bring home anything else?
OF: sure, some cheese...
Me: cheese? like cheddar?
OF: No, like mild cheddar.

Well, you get the idea. This person who I saw, he was a nice enough guy I guess, but I realized that he was really contradictory, and it reminded me of who I was way back then. I had a boyfriend in high school who broke up with me because he said I argued too much. I guess I was like that too, having to be right all the time. It must have been a real control issue for me. I am aware now that I can get like that, but I do tend to let the irrelevant details slide, as long as I got my point across. And man, I have to say, there are reasons we grow away from people, and we really should recognize that! Happy Monday you all...

This week...

Glee started to learn Japanese dancing in preparation for Obon, which will happen at the beginning of August. One of the girls in our Brownie Troop belongs to a buddhist temple and they have an Obon Festival. Nine of our eighteen Brownies decided they wanted to earn a patch for the Obon Festival, and to do that you have to do two dances during Obon. So, we need to learn them. It's fascinating to me to learn something about a culture that I thought I was pretty up on! I grew up in the area we live in now, and a mile away from us is a huge Japanese community, it's been there since before World War II. I had lots of Japanese-American friends growing up. I have never been to an Obon Festival. I think it will be lots of fun. Glee stands out a little, being the only blonde in our group, and one of a few in the whole dance class! I have started to learn the dances too, since it is an all age kind of thing (they teach it in the parking lot at the temple!). Four of the other Brownie parents remember doing this when they were little, so they are leading their daughters as well as the group. When we perform in August I will make sure to video it.

A photo mosaic meme

Memes are one of those things found on the internet that everyone always says "what's that? how do you say that?" I like this one because it was really random and a fun way to illustrate ME!

Here's what you are to do (if you want to do your own...)

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr search.

2. Using only the first page of results, pick one image.

3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

The questions:

1. What is your first name? Jill

2. What is your favorite food right now? Mexican

3. What high school did you go to? North Torrance High (that's an actual photo from a graduation there!)

4. What is your favorite color? Green

5. Who is your celebrity crush? Christian Bale

6. What is your favorite drink? Coffee

7. What is your dream vacation? Ireland

8. What is your favorite dessert? Chocolate cheesecake

9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Film Director

10. What do you love most in life? My family

11. What is one word that describes you? Smart (or geek, I can't remember!)

12. What is your flickr name? Jill393

Okay, here are the photos that go with those answers (edited on July 5th). I should have put them on there...

Swimming and pink eye

Yesterday was the first day of swimming lessons for a month! Glee had to sit out. She developed pink eye on Sunday in what seems to be record time. At 4pm she was fine, at 4:30 she had an oozing pus filled eye. It was swollen and icky. We went to the doctor yesterday who confirmed pink eye, but before that, at the pool, we saw one of Thomas' friends from preschool, and her baby brother had it in both eyes. We were all together, including Glee, a former participant in the preschool, for the last day luau. Thomas and I did the swim class (a last chance for me, he will age out after this summer, and he becomes a tadpole like Glee next year). After class we went to library where we saw ANOTHER of Thomas' former classmates, who also has pink eye, and she had shared it with her dad. Three cases, I was pretty sure it was what Glee had too.

We tried some home remedies, on Sunday. We washed her eye with a sterile contact lens solution, about 6 times. We also used black tea steeped for a few minutes. We washed her eye with the cooled tea, and put the tea bag on it for fifteen minutes. It was still red and swollen on Monday, but no infection! Now it's in the other eye, and the doctor gave us a prescription for antibiotic eye drops, and we will use those until they are gone.

That's how our summer has been so far. It's not as hot today, there is a marine layer, but it will be gone in time for swim lessons. Then I drop them at a friend's house for the middle of the day, I have some prep to do for our Last Day of Brownies (for the year) party tomorrow. 18 girls at Build a bear. Shoot me now... Happy Tuesday!

Day after...

Yesterday was HOT. Like I even need to say that out loud. Today is hot too. I imagine we will be taking advantage of our little pool again today. Both X (that is what W wants me to call him, so now you know who he is...) and Glee got sunburned. That's what I get for trusting him to put sunscreen on her. Next time I will have to make sure I do that myself. He said she did it. He got sunburned on the parts he said he put sunscreen on too. Serves him right.

We spent a day yesterday out shopping. X needed flip flops to make his feet look not so white. And tank tops to even out his "tan." You know, men's tank tops are HARD to find! We went to Old Navy, Target, K-Mart, Marshalls, he went to Sears, Penney's and finally found some (on clearance too!) at Anchor Blue. We also bought a tent, some new towels for the company that's coming in a few weeks, and some clothes at Old Navy. And treated ourselves to a Summer Solstice feast at Cheesecake Factory.

So, we had another mermaid and fairy tea party. Heidi, the fairy dust is on it's way! It was a success, the fairies and mermaids ate the soup Glee made and everything. Here's a video link if you want to see her describe what she's doing. It's a little dark, but you'll get the idea (that's what I get for doing this at 9pm!). FAIRY TEA PARTY

Today is housekeeping day, laundry, take out recycling and garbage, try to beat the heat. We will spend the afternoon ensconced in our living room, shades down, popcorn popped and movie. I'm not sure what we will be watching, but we will pull something out of our vast library (hah, vast library).

Oh, I just finished a book last night I got at the library last week. It is called The Extra Large Medium by Helen Slavin. I really enjoyed it, it's by an English author, her first book (Dawn, you may know of her, apparently she has a bit of fame in the UK, and it says she lived in Wiltshire... not that you get to Wiltshire or anything...). It was a good read, a nice twist at the end. Also, I recently read the Golden Compass trilogy. I liked the last book the best, but they did seem to drag a bit.

4pm today...

Glee came in to see me and said "mom, I don't have anything to do..." ahhhh summer has begun.

Oh, Glee got all "E's" and "V's" on her report card (that's Excellents and Very Goods, some of which are up from "S's" which was satisfactory) and recommended for 2nd grade. Off we go!

Last day...

Do you remember any of your last days of school? I was trying to remember one today and they just aren't there. I guess it was too long ago. Today is Glee and Thomas' last day for this year. Last day of first grade, last day of preschool. We get a luau for Thomas and Glee has an assembly at her school. She is so sad, she is really going to miss her friends. She truly loves school, I think to her it's like a big club she gets to go to every day.

I have to say, I am so proud of both of them. This year Glee really learned to write. I mean, you can actually READ her writing (she even told me that, she was surprised how bad it was at the beginning of the year!) and she is reading, boy is she reading. She reads every night, and reading before sleep is a HUGE treat to both kids, they would take that over dessert! She reads beyond a 2nd grade level. I only know this because she was given homework for the summer (!?). She was given a book that is 2nd grade level. She is supposed to read it, answer questions and turn the book and questions in at the beginning of the year next year. This is a hassle for one reason only. That means I have to keep track of that book and those questions ALL SUMMER. Man. Anyway, she read the first chapter of the book to me last night and she read it like it was nothing. She even made a different voice for each character. This is going to be the beginning of a serious love affair with books, I can tell! So, she can read, she can do math (I think we might work on multiplication this summer!), and she is fascinated by science.

Thomas learned to write his name, first and last this year. He is starting to read too (he says he is reading in his head, so he can't tell you what the words are). He is doing simple math. He knows his colors in English and Spanish (very amusing) and will practice writing his letters and numbers this summer. More importantly (to me anyway) he can dress himself completely, he uses the bathroom like a regular kid (doesn't ask for help anymore), and he can make his own lunch (well, he did the other day, with some direction on how to work the microwave!). Pretty good for a kid who's only 4 1/2!

So, end of school year. Take a break, right? Riiiight... I need to revamp my company website, work on my marketing materials, and get ready to launch again in September when everyone goes back to school! Oh, and this year Thomas wants to be a blue power ranger for Halloween and Glee wants to be Vicky Vampire from the Sims. I am hoping those change over the summer (and they usually do!).

I just realized today...

okay, this may end up being kind of boring for most of you, but do you know how important it is to your kids to be involved in their school? I just realized today, after doing a little mental reminiscing... my younger brother was born when I was just 5, heading to kindergarten for the first time. My next brother was born the year I graduated from 8th grade. So, my mom (and my dad) were slightly preoccupied during two pretty important events in my educational life.

My mom said she was involved in PTA when I was little. She may have been, but with a baby hanging around (and then a toddler) I don't think she was all that involved, not like she thinks she was. I know I was not known among my peers' parents, not like I know Glee's friends, and their parents. Okay, this is sort of disjointed, but today, a 5th grader at school got some awards. She got them, I am sure, because she is a good student, but it sure did help that her mom AND dad are very involved in school (her dad even works for the school part time as a paraeducator). So, not to discredited her in anyway, but would she have won those recognitions if her parents were NOT involved in the school? I wonder. I wonder if I am signing away my soul to the devil known as PTA. I hope not, but I guess if this is the way I can help my kids it is what I will do. I so hate the image of a PTA parent (and from the few board meetings I actually attended, I will say it is not unwarranted). How did this happen? How did I get here? Man, I sure do ask myself that question a lot. I guess it's all in the choices we make... all in the choices. I never thought I would be one of THOSE parents, the ones who say they would do anything for their kids, but I guess I am one.

On a related topic... since when did it become a bad thing to want your kids to be smart? I mean, to be smarter than their peers? Is that arrogant? I want my kids to be smart. There, I said it. I want them to be the smartest kids I know. I want them to have all the opportunities that intelligence offers. I do not want them judged on their looks, but on their brains. I want them to have all they desire, and the best way to get that is by being smart. Clever and smart. I want them to go to the best college they can, and study something that makes them happy and keeps them curious. Come on people! Let's EXPECT something from our kids, lets expect them to excel and not do poorly. Let's expect something. Okay, Wednesday morning rant now concluded.

Last one...

...for today. I have decided to give my husband the initial W. I am sure you all would have figured it out... and thanks for all the suggestions... among them: Darth Maul, Jayne, Brown Pants, Carling, and Daddy Princess Aurora (I couldn't have written that over and over... sorry!).

Father's Day

For Father's Day we bought fruit dipped in dark chocolate and went to see a chalk/art festival in Pasadena. It was fun. Glee made a fantastic likeness of W. Inside it had a note that told him some of the things she likes to do with him, including washing the cars (?!). She also told him she loved him more than $100.00. Yep, he's love more than a hundred bucks. It was very much her, just the way she is. Thomas expressed his love too, and then proceeded to complain about everything and cry a lot. I think he was having a day.

The chalk art festival (http://www.pasadenachalkfestival.com/) was pretty neat, although it was hot (to us anyway) and we were happy to get home to our marine layer. The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and hanging out, doing laundry, watching tv, working on crafts.

There are three days left of school. Remember when summer seemed to last forever? We get 76 days of summer this year. School starts two days before Glee's birthday, and that just seems so early!

Coincidences

I have an email account that is the first email account I ever had. It collects email at an alarming rate, 95% of it junk mail, but sometimes I get something from someone from a long time ago, someone who has known me forever and I gave that first email address to, but we don't really stay in touch. I get email from someone I worked with in 1986/1987 at a bookstore, she used to live down the street from me when we were kids, and she went through a serious Goth stage that lingers still. I get a Christmas card from her every year, and I send one to her, and once in a blue moon an email comes through, usually not to me, but to a list of people she thought would like to see amazing animals, or a funny commercial.

So, this account is still open. I got an email today that's title was "auckland." This year I made the multicultural fair board for New Zealand for Glee and Thomas' school. I have never been there, although my MIL always said she wanted to go. I learned a lot about New Zealand, it was fun to do the board for the kids, but I wonder why, now, I am getting "auckland." Of course, I never open email from someone I don't know... and I am sure it was nothing... but still. Weird.

Block Sale Day!

Unloaded a bit of junk (well, one person's junk, you know the rest...) and made about $60 for about 4 hours of work. Worth it I guess! We took the four bags of leftover clothes to Salvation Army and felt good about it too! You know, kids clothes sell pretty well, but grown up clothes sure don't (or people think I have bad clothes!) We don't really have a lot of junk mind you. Our garage is mostly filled with boxes of photos and model trains that Thomas inherited from his paternal great grandmother (and he has no idea he owns them!). I do have a fair amount of crafting stuff, there is a load of hockey stuff, and Brownie stuff too... it happens when you are the girl scout leader.

We had a nice day today, weather has been in mid 70's, we had a nice marine layer burning off right over our house. Keeps it cool. It was a good day for yard sale. There were about 15 houses up and down our block that participated, that made it nice. I'd do it again next year if we have one...

Today we took Thomas and Glee to the library to pick out a movie for Family Movie Night. If they can stay awake we will be watching Goonies. They both loved Raiders and it's similar but more in a kid way. Our library really has a great selection of dvds, and heck, they are free for a week! Who can beat that? We will return our books and dvds next Saturday and then we will be making regular visits throughout the summer. It will be good, and free. I love the library!

Almost there

Today is the last Friday of this school year. Glee is eating in the cafeteria, it's pizza. I had a conference with Thomas' preschool teacher. She said he is very verbal, with a vocabulary far beyond most of his peers. He is very interested in science, particularly the solar system (maybe that astronaut career isn't too far out of reach!) and that he is an enthusiastic learner (wow, nice key words!). He won't be 5 until three weeks after kindergarten starts, but he is learning at a 5y2mo level, so she doesn't think he will have any trouble learning in kindergarten, but he is antsy, and he tends to fidget and sometimes has a hard time staying on task (since he's only 4.5 I am not surprised!). We will work on that over the summer, and he is way better than he was at the beginning of the year! He is going to do so well in kindergarten, and he is so excited. I saw Glee's teacher today too, not for a conference but I had to drop off something in her class. Her class was all abuzz because the silkworm eggs have hatched!!! They have seen the full life cycle this year, from egg to worm to larva to moth to egg to worm again. Amazing for them, and Glee was ecstatic. She has learned so much in first grade, particularly about insects. Her teacher said she has a real interest in science too! Yay for that! It was not my forte, that's for sure.

Across the street from us there is a young couple, both have serious jobs. The husband is a prosecuting attorney for the state, and the wife is a research scientist. I am going to explain to Glee what the wife does, and show her that girls can do it!

Well, tomorrow is yard sale day here, actually 11 houses on our block are participating, so it should be fun. I have a ton of stuff in the garage to get rid of and I think I may weed through the stuffed animals upstairs too. Whatever left will get put in the truck and dropped at Goodwill. If I was willing to sell it then I don't need it, right? On Sunday we will do something special for the man of the house, since it is Father's Day and all. I still haven't decided what to call him in this blog. Maybe I will let him pick his own name...

Have a nice weekend you all, and go see a movie or something, there are some good ones out!

After that boring mess...

I love these lists, all of those ones that ask things like favorite food and last movie you saw and last book you read and song that sticks in your head... so here's one I found that just amused me. It's called the Friday Fill-in, and I am doing it in anticipation of Friday! Yay!

1. Get a PhD is high up on my bucket list.
2. My favorite quote is "snakes, why'd it have to be snakes..."
3. Glee and Thomas inspired me to start blogging.
4. Strawberries are best composted.
5. A new house, it was not painted right, it had weird carvings around the door jambs that were supposed to be antique and were German, and it was starting to turn to night (a bad sign in my dreams) was the last dream I remember having.
6. The most enjoyable time to go for a walk is after dinner as a "dessert."

The Return of the School Health Assistant

As some of you know, I had an issue last year when Glee started Kindergarten. As a refresher, here is the letter I never sent.

My daughter is a former “Tykes” student and attended this school last year as part of that program. The health requirements for that program are the same as for enrolling her as a kindergartner. I had to provide proof of immunization, as well as proof of a current TB test. My issue comes with the school health assistant at School.

My daughter turned 5 the day before school started. Her pediatrician has a policy (mainly for record keeping purposes) of not immunizing a child before the birthday on which those immunizations are due. I had discussed this with HA (Health Assistant) back in May, during kindergarten round up. She was adamant at the time that my daughter would not be allowed to attend school until those immunizations were received. I explained they would be completed on the first day of school and had an appointment to have the remaining immunizations given at 2pm, after kindergarten let out. HA then said my daughter would need a current TB test and after I pointed out on the shot record that I provided that her TB test was current, she relented.

I then received a phone call the day before school started stating that my daughter would not be allowed to start school because her records were not current, but if I brought the shot record on the first day then HA would allow her into school. I would be supplying a completed immunization card before 4pm on the first day of school, so I thought nothing of it. When we arrived for the first day of school my daughter’s name had been eliminated from ALL the class assignments, and her teacher had been notified that she would not be allowed into the class. As you can imagine, I was now angry. I was not the only parent having issues with this on the first day of school. I met three other parents of former Tykes who also were not being allowed into class because of immunization issues. I spoke
with HA, and she said my daughter could start school the next day if I brought in the records. Then she told another parent, whose son turns 5 in October that he could attend class and “just have the doctor fax a note the next day that immunizations would not be completed until October,” and to go on to class now. At that point, I turned around and walked my daughter to her class, explained the situation to her teacher and she set my daughter up for the day. She had had to remove her place at the table, her name tag and all evidence of her, before school started, and fortunately still had those items on her desk. Mind you, this was not how we envisioned the first day of school something my daughter had been looking forward to for months.

Just last week I received another letter from HA stating that I had not completed “Report of Health Examinations for School Entry” as required for first grade admission and that I had until December 31st, 2007 to turn in that form or my daughter could be eliminated from the first grade. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back and I went, again, to the office, this time to request the health waiver (form PM 171 B). I explained to HA that I would never be able to meet the constant barrage of health requirement papers nor did I want to live in fear my daughter would be kicked out of school again because of a paperwork issue. Upon hearing my request her first statement to me was that if I signed the waiver my daughter would be immediately removed from school and sent home if there were ever a health issue on campus. I am happy with that resolution. I would prefer to be informed if my daughter has come in contact with any communicable illnesses or if she has a health issue that would require her to seek the assistance of a medical person at school. I live less than a two minute walk away from the school. HA then attempted to quote the California State Regulations and said I was not clear on what the law said. I am quite clear of my rights as a parent to waive the right to have her, or any other person at the school, attend to my daughter in the event she needs medical attention. I am also very clear on the law, having read over it a number of times now.

HA's final statements to me were #1, I was the first parent in five years to request the waiver, and she would have to notify the principal of this request, again of which I am happy to hear. Maybe this will open some dialogue on how these matters are handled; #2, she told me I should take up the policy with the district, hence this letter.

Okay, so now it is time for Thomas to go... and guess who is harrassing me again. Yep, here's the letter I DID send, and now the principal wants to talk about it (someday, when it is convenient for him, which it isn't today).

Enclosed you will find a copy of the PBE Health Waiver I
submitted when I enrolled Thomas through Kindergarten Roundup. It is not a duplicate of the waiver I submitted (and should be in his file), but a new copy. Also enclosed is form PM 171 B. Please note that my husband and I have signed these waivers with a full and complete understanding of what they entail and we are also completely aware of our rights under California State Law as stated below:

Exemptions to Requirements-Personal Beliefs Exemptions
California is one of a number of states that allows a personal beliefs, or philosophical, exemption to school/child care immunization requirements. California law states that “Immunization of a person shall not be required for admission… if the parent or guardian… files… a letter
or affidavit stating that the immunization is contrary to his or her beliefs.” Any parent has the option to take the personal beliefs exemption at any time. The parent affidavit for an exemption is on the back of the child’s Blue Card; it must be signed by the parent or guardian and kept in the student’s official record. If the child has had some immunizations, record those dates as usual, if available.

Health and Safety Code, Division 105, Part 2, Chapter 1,
Section 120365
SEVENTH EDITION • JULY 2003 - CALIFORNIA IMMUNIZATION
HANDBOOK
“Although California’s law does not require parents/guardians taking the personal beliefs exemption (PBE) to state the reason(s) for their belief or the specific vaccines involved in their belief, the clear intent of the law is that the PBE option be used for deeply held personal beliefs…”

We don’t need additional education by the health staff in the office at School. We understand the implications of signing the waiver. Do not approach us again trying to convince us we do not understand our rights and that we are doing a disservice to our children. Please note that our daughter Glee has the same waiver in her file. We DO NOT want health examinations, health inspections, or medical diagnoses performed upon our children without our immediate consent or notification. We are also returning the document you presented to us in April of this year, completed, to ensure Thomas will not be subjected to the first grade health screening provided by the School District when he attends 1st Grade.

It will be interesting to see what the principal has to say, since I am done with it.

Wacky Wednesday

Wednesdays right now are nutty... school gets out an hour early, we have Brownies on every other one, but today, today takes the cake.

Glee starts school at 8:30am, Thomas and I come home until 10am, when we go back to school for the Volunteer Appreciation Brunch put on by the teachers (I like to do work at the school!). Then we have to take Thomas to a field trip about 20 minutes from here, he has to be there by 11:30, pick him up at 2pm, get home and pick up Glee from a neighbor's house, be at Brownies by 2:30 to set up the father's day craft (thumbprint art anyone?) and then wrap things up and be home by about 5pm. While Thomas is at his field trip I need to get supplies for thumbprint art.

Somedays go by like this, and I get to the end and wonder what was accomplished today. I don't like the madness of running everywhere. I feel like I forget to ask my kids how things are, what they learned today, did they see the clouds in the sky or smell the ocean? We have sunflowers blooming in the backyard (as well as broccoli blooming, and you know, it just doesn't taste right once it flowers!). There are peas to be picked, squash blossoms to be looked at, weeds to be pulled, nature to be enjoyed. But not for today I guess.

We are planning a fairy/mermaid tea party, for Summer Solstice (go figure!). It's something Glee started. She makes a tea and soup out of plants from the yard and sets up a lovely table. Then, at night the fairies and mermaids (landwalkers of course) come and enjoy the free meal and leave her gifts. Once they left golden seashells, and last time they left fairy flowers, made our of my ribbons out of my craft box. And they always leave a really nice note. The last tooth she lost even brought a note. The tooth fairy, who is sisters with the fairies who come to the tea, said her sisters loved Glee's meals, and thanked her for it. And left 8 shiny quarters and took her tooth. Man, I love this magical time...

Movie Meme

I can't remember why these are called memes, but here you go anyway...

1. One movie that made you laugh: Napolean Dynamite, hands down. I don't usually like comedy that much, but I could just so relate to that one for some reason (geek)...
2. One movie that made you cry: I don't think there has been a whole movie that did it to me, but lots of pieces of movies have. It didn't used to be this way, but now when kids are hurt, or their parents die, that gets me everytime.
3. One movie you loved when you were a child: Wizard of Oz, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Apple Dumpling Gang. Oh, and Xanadu (well, I think I was a tween then) and Clash of the Titans, really I could go on... besides the obvious of Star Wars, Empire, Jedi, Raiders.
4. One movie you’ve seen more than once: Excalibur
5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it: Beastmaster
6. One movie you hated: Megaforce (I walked out).
7. One movie that scared you: still looking for it...
8. One movie that bored you: countless, but Battleship Potemkin is pretty close to the top of the list...
9. One movie that made you happy: My Big Fat Greek Wedding (saw it again the other night and it is just what you hope it will be, including one big happy ending).
10. One movie that made you miserable: Midnight showing of Wizards (I was soooo tired) and Pink Flamingos, just gross.
11. One movie you weren’t brave enough to see: never, bring them all on...
12. One movie character you’ve fallen in love with: Indiana Jones, even now.
13. The last movie you saw: Kung-Fu Panda
14. The next movie you hope to see: The Happening

Almost summer

This morning I woke up and found Thomas sitting on the couch, wrapped in his blue blanket named Fuzzy holding Baby and Turtle, watching tv. Sounds cute, right? No, he knows when he wakes up he is supposed to get dressed, get his shoes on, brush his teeth and come downstairs for breakfast, and ONLY after breakfast is finished can he watch tv. Yep, only 9 school days left and he still doesn't get the drill. Oh, he knows, he knows EXACTLY what to do, but he would rather do what he wants. I am hoping this is a four year old thing and he will magically transform on his 5th birthday into Mr. Responsibility. Glee, on the other hand, had to tell me about a dream she had where a giant butterfly filled the sky and when it opened it's wings it became a constellation, and then her teacher took her somewhere with the class, and someone on the radio was telling her to look out the window at the butterfly constellation. She, on the other hand, does her morning routine in record time and makes it downstairs before Thomas. As usual. This is the morning. I think I need another coffee.

Okay, I wrote this whole long thing...

...and it disappeared. So I will come back tomorrow and start again. This is mostly for my kids, so they know how I thought about them. And for my husband. Because he is magical to me, even though he doesn't know it, not ever.